Notice of Pre-AIA or AIA Status
The present application, filed on or after March 16, 2013, is being examined under the first inventor to file provisions of the AIA .
Claim Rejections - 35 USC § 103
In the event the determination of the status of the application as subject to AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103 (or as subject to pre-AIA 35 U.S.C. 102 and 103) is incorrect, any correction of the statutory basis (i.e., changing from AIA to pre-AIA ) for the rejection will not be considered a new ground of rejection if the prior art relied upon, and the rationale supporting the rejection, would be the same under either status.
3. The factual inquiries for establishing a background for determining obviousness under 35 U.S.C. 103 are summarized as follows:
1. Determining the scope and contents of the prior art.
2. Ascertaining the differences between the prior art and the claims at issue.
3. Resolving the level of ordinary skill in the pertinent art.
4. Considering objective evidence present in the application indicating obviousness or nonobviousness.
Claims 1-20 are rejected under 35 U.S.C 103 as being unpatenable over Duckett ( US 12,114,831 B1-hereinafter Duckett) in view of Urasaki (US 12,035,878 B2-hereinafer Urasaki) and Duckett (US 11,294,166 B2-hereinafter Duckett).
4.Regarding claims 1 and 16, Duckett (( US 12,114,831 B1) teaches an endoscopic system including multiple image sensors disposed at a distal portion of the endoscope and configured to combine outputs from multiple sensors intro reconstructed image data, see Abstract. In Addition, Duckett (US 11,294,166 B2) teaches analog signal processors, analog-digital (A/D) converters, timing generators, and image processing circuitry for processing output from multiple sensors, see abstract.Duckett’s patents do not teach switching control between sensors based on processing instructions. Urasaki (US 12,035,878 B2) teaches controller-based switch operations within an endoscopic system, see abstract. Therefore, it would be obvious to a person of ordinary skill in the art to combine these three references and modify Duckett to include the switch control functionality of Urasaki in order to selectively control multiple sensors, improve processing flexibility and wiring complexity .
Regarding claims 2-4, Duckett (US 11,294,166 B2) teaches transmitting information from multiple image sensors through a share transmission architecture within the endoscope assembly, including use of a single optical channel. (See Col. 12 start from line38 -to col.13 FIG 6). Duckett does not disclose transmitting a composite waveform through a single conducting element. Therefore, it would have been obvious to PHOSITA to apply multiplexing techniques to transmit combined sensor signals over s ingle conductor in order to reduce wiring complexity and converse space within the endoscope shaft.
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Regarding claims 5-10, Duckett (US 12,114,831 B1) teaches controllers, timing generators, analog signal processors, A/D converters and programmable image processing circuitry for processing sensors outputs. Use of FPGA field programmable gate array circuity rather than a plurality of discrete electrical components for implementing processing and control functions would have been obvious as a design choice. See Duckett (US 12,114,831 B1-- In the present invention, optical channel assembly 11 includes a single-channel imaging system and may be constructed according to a large variety of known methods suitable for placement in a scope distal tip, including the preferred optical channel assembly of FIG. 2B. Image sensors 14 and 16 convert the incident light to an electrical signal by, for example, integrating charge for each picture element (pixel). The image sensors 14 and 16 may be active-pixel type complementary metal oxide semiconductor sensors (CMOS APS) or a charge-coupled devices (CCD), to give just two possible examples. The output analog signal from the image sensors is processed by analog signal processor 22 and applied to analog-to-digital (A/D) converter 24 for digitizing the analog sensor signals. In some versions (typically CMOS designs), the analog signal processing and A/D converters may be integrated into individual sensor models attached to each sensor 14 and 16.)
Regarding claims 11-15, Ducketts (US 11,294,166 B2) teaches an endoscope including multiple image sensors positioned at the distal end. He also teaches directing portions of image light to different sensors. (See Duckett Col. 13 lines 5-34). Urasaki teaches the use of a controller to perform switching operations within an endoscope system. Therefore, it would have been obvious to PHOSITA to implement similar switching operations with additional sensors so that image data could be selectively acquired from multiple sensors in order to reduce wiring complexity and to provide a good operational flexibility. Regarding claim 13, the sensor types are known alternative commonly used in endoscopic system. So, It would also been obvious to PHOSITA about alternating the sensors type to for a better sensing performance. (Duckett FIG. 6 is a flowchart of an example process for combining and rotating the partial images received from the multiple sensors according to some embodiments, which may be employed with the example hardware and camera designs herein, or may be employed with other hardware designated with a similar purpose, such as software program code executed by a GPU or other image processor. The depicted process starts at block 601 with receiving image light at a distal lens of an optical assembly and passing the image light through a single optical channel.(55) Next at blocks 602, the process redirects a first portion of the image light at a non-zero angle to the longitudinal axis of the endoscope toward the first sensor. A second portion of the image light may also be redirected at a non-zero angle to the longitudinal axis of the endoscope at block 603, or it may pass straight to the second sensor in some embodiments, so block 603 is has a dotted border as being optional. As can be understood blocks 602 and 603 may be performed by two different light directing elements or a single light directing element such as a compound prism.(56) At blocks 604 the process receives the first portion of the image light from the optical channel assembly with the first image sensor, the first portion of the image light forming a first image of a first part of the field of view of the distal lens. Simultaneously at block 605 the process receives the second portion of the image light from the optical assembly with the second image sensor, the second portion of the image light forming a second image of a second part of the field of view of the distal lens, the second part of the field of view substantially different from the first part of the field of view. The first and second images may have a partially overlapping field of view or not.)
Regarding claims 17-20, Duckett (US 12,114,831 B1) teaches image processing circuitry and A/D converters for procession outputs from multiple sensors. In addition, Duckett ( US 11,294,166 B2) teaches combining and processing outputs from multiple image sensors into reconstructed image data. ( See Abstract-- US 11,294,166 B2). Urasaki teaches controller-based switch operations and changing switch within an endoscope system. Therefore, it would be been obvious to PHOSITA to apply known switching and signal processing methods of Urasaki and Duckett to the multi sensor endoscope system of Duckett in order to selectively transmit and reconstruct sensor data while reducing wiring complexity and improving operational flexibility.
Conclusion
9.Any inquiry concerning this communication or earlier communications from the examiner should be directed to MOHAMAD HASSAN KANAAN whose telephone number is (571)270-0363. The examiner can normally be reached I work from 8am:5pm.
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/MOHAMAD HASSAN KANAAN/Examiner, Art Unit 3796
/CARL H LAYNO/Supervisory Patent Examiner, Art Unit 3796
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